Water table dynamic and peat motion in forest and burnt area in central Kalimantan Province, Indonesia

Water table dynamic (WTD) and peat motion are useful data to assess the condition of peatland ecosystems. Decomposition of peat is affected by WTD, with lower groundwater levels resulting in larger peat subsidence and CO 2 emissions. In this study, we used low-cost time-lapse cameras based on Raspberry Pi computers to periodically monitor peat motion and water table depth. The camera will take pictures every 2 hours at the same time as the WTD data taken by water level logger. The aim of this research is to determine the magnitude of peat surface movement under forest cover and ex-burnt conditions. The research locations where time-lapse cameras were installed were six locations: UPR Hampangen Natural Laboratory, KHDTK Tumbang Nusa, Repeat, the southern burnt area, and Sebangau National Park. Data collection for WTD and peat movement was carried out from December 2022 to June 2023. The research results show that the WTD value is inversely proportional to the value of peat subsidence. In the Sebangau National Park location, which has a low mean WTD value (-0,31 m), there was a large decrease in the peat surface of -1.36 cm. The UPR Hampangen Natural Laboratory location has a high mean WTD (0,12 m), there was the smallest peat reduction of - 0.12 cm.